The BBB serving Southwest Missouri held its first shredding event May 3, which invited the public to bring unwanted sensitive material to be shredded safely. More than 120 cars turned out for the event, held at Battlefield Mall, which helped contribute to 4,000 pounds of material to be safely destroyed, and out of the potential hands of individuals attempting to commit identity theft.
For this important initiative, BBB partnered nationally with Equifax as well as local businesses. Secure shredding services on the day of the event was provided by National Association for Information Destruction member, Cintas Document Management, who's on-site shredding truck held 9,000 pounds. Each participant was given information coupled with expert advice and resources for protecting personal information from ID thieves.
The entire 4,000 pounds of material shredded, including paper, expired credit cards, old computer floppy disk and much more, was then recycled to ensure not only these materials were no longer a threat for consumers' identity, but also to ensure the environment is taken care of by keeping the materials from turning into waste.
“For our first event, we were highly successful,” said Judy Mills, president/CEO of BBB of Southwest Missouri. “We were able to provide a much needed service to our community as well as take crucial steps in combating the crime of identity theft.”
More than 50 BBBs across the country and Canada participated in this simultaneous event which yielded more than 200 tons of shredded material.
“The turnout nation-wide is tremendous,” Mills said. “To know that more then 200 tons of sensitive material has been taken out of access to identity thieves, helps us put into perspective the importance of these types of events.”
A second event is slated for September 20. It is the BBBs intent to make this event a bi-annual event in expectation of slowing and eventually ending identity theft.
For more information, and to be placed on a reminder list for upcoming BBB events, call 417-862-4222 or start with
www.bbb.org.